Brokerages Set Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) PT at $123.80

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.80.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,955,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 7,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,980. The trade was a 66.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,313 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.30, for a total value of $294,444.90. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $978,045.90. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 25,354 shares of company stock worth $3,275,455. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 39.6% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,027 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Chase Investment Counsel Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 4.6% in the second quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 44,029 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $5,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,933 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth about $7,920,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $106.19 on Friday. Kirby has a 1-year low of $74.88 and a 1-year high of $132.21. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $118.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.51.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $831.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $824.42 million. Kirby had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 9.43%. Kirby’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Kirby will post 5.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kirby Company Profile

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.